Gary Simpson is urging his players to enjoy their moment in the spotlight tonight when they take on Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup (ko 8pm).

Macc caused arguably the upset of round one when they went to Hull and returned home worthy winners with two Emile Sinclair strikes.

And Premier League opposition await tonight in the form of Owen Coyle’s side.

But Simpson says there is no pressure on his young, hungry team and they can enjoy themselves and perform without the weight of expectation.

"It’s a good game for the players and the supporters," said the Macc manager. "It’s a Premiership club that’s not too far for them to travel so hopefully they’ll enjoy the night as well.

"It’s a fixture that the lads have deserved for their performance at Hull. It’s not ideal that it’s on a Wednesday because we’ll only have two days to prepare for AFC Wimbledon when they’ll have had their feet up all week, but I’d rather be in the cup than out of it.

"But we can go there and enjoy ourselves. It’s a great occasion for the lads to go and pit their wits there and me as well."

Bolton will go into the game as massive favourites but Simpson feels that if his men apply themselves and enjoy the occasion then they’ll put in a performance.

"If these lads can carry on in the same vein as they have been, and gather confidence, they can get the bit between their teeth, play with a smile on their face, and that will serve them well.

"The longer we can stay in the game the better it will be for us and the more of a chance we’ll have. We’ll have to work hard against a good team and use the ball well when get hold of it."

Simpson was in the Reebok Stadium crowd for Bolton’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday but he’s expected to face a primarily second-string team but insists that Coyle’s men will provide a stiff test.

Macc still have injured quartet Waide Fairhurst, Paul Morgan, Colin Daniel and Vinny Mukendi at various stages of their comeback trails and unlikely to feature tonight.

And although the season is still in the early stages, he took the chance to garner advice on squad rotation from Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, watching with him at Bolton.

He added: "I said to him ‘You’ve got all these talented players and I don’t know how you keep them all happy.’ He just said it’s difficult but the 100 grand a week definitely helps."

SECOND-string goalkeeper Jack Cudworth is to undergo a scan on a troublesome ankle injury today (Wednesday).